Although the old phaser designs in the TOS era drew from the power systems, the post-refit got its power by channeling through the warp drive systems directly (or the power is obtained from the warp core itself), which was stated to increase its power output and damage potential. Is it relevant? Since it also has been mentioned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture that if the warp engines go into antimatter imbalance, the phaser power supply gets terminated automatically, redering them useless (if they didn't have a charged power cell before the imbalance began I immagine). I thought maybe to take a comment made by Aurelius Kirk on Captainmike's talk page and perhaps expand very slightly on it. It is the same point anyway, may as well place it here since it may be more visible. --MKSuleth 08:14, 17 Jan 2006 (UTC)

I'm suggesting merging this into Power pack, as both pages are talking about essentially the same thing, but "Power pack" is the earlier term.Capt Christopher Donovan 06:27, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

It's been two months and no reply so I will add one. I am going to have to say I disagree. While the terms are similar and the items seem to share similar properties, we have yet to be shown that they are used interchangeably, nor that the other term is an "earlier term", since the term apparently cropped up in TNG, and the latter term cropped up in ENT. --Alan del Beccio 23:34, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

"Power pack" IS the earliest term, as it was used in TOS' "The Omega Glory" (among others). Thus it has chronological precedence as the "definitive term"...the merge would have the "aka 'power cell'" type boilerplate to cover the merge. That they are the same sorts of items is self-obvious from their usage in context. A phaser power pack powers a phaser, as does a phaser power cell, etc etc.Capt Christopher Donovan 09:34, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the term "power cell" was used in "Where No Man Has Gone Before", followed later in the episode by "power pack" referring to something different which could be adapted to the Enterprise engines. Chronologically speaking, the term "power cell" was also used on Star Trek: Enterprise. Since then, however, judging by the content of both articles, the terms seem to have been used interchangeably since both are used to power phasers, both handheld and shipboard. Having gone through all that, I think it might be best to merge them after all... --From Andoria with Love 09:45, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, simply put, the term "pack" is defined as "a number of individual units", whereas a "cell" is defined as "a single unit". Again, while the terms are similar and the items seem to share similar properties, we have yet to be shown that they are used interchangeably nor that they are the same. Is power pack the "plural" of a power cell or is is something completely different? Afterall, we did separate Andor and Andoria, why should we assume they are the same in this case as well? Alan del Beccio 04:48, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

In context, the use of "power pack" in Omega Glory refers to individual units. Spock shows two of them to Kirk and refers to others as being Captain Tracy's "reserve packs". The earlier WNMHGB reference also refers to "packs" (pleural).

As for which term is prior usage, I have a hard time reconciling units capable of re-energizing a starship's engines with what are essentially small equipment "batteries" elsewhere. The issue of which term is chronologically first is muddied by the question of whether you mean which term was created first real-world, or which term appears first "in universe".

Nevertheless, I'm willing to be flexible, the important point being that we don't need TWO articles to describe the SAME thing (which ever name we give it).Capt Christopher Donovan 11:36, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

EDIT* I just remembered a DS9 reference to "power packs": "The Seige of AR-558". The reloads being handed out for phaser rifles were being referred to as power packs. So, yeah, I think there's a good case to be made that the terms are interchangeable in useage.Capt Christopher Donovan 11:42, 13 December 2006 (UTC)